Team size: 9

What are the key projects that you have been involved in over the past twelve months?

In June 2025, the APART group, Poland’s largest jewelry brand specialising in the production and sale of jewelry and the distribution of watches, mainly luxury watches (Jacob & Co., Zenith, Jaeger-LeCoultre, Breitling, Maurice Lacroix, Baume & Mercier, and Frédérique Constant), operating on the market since 1977 (approx. 250 POS in Poland, 25 in the Czech Republic), finalised the acquisition of its competitor, the Jubitom chain. Jubitom is a well-known Polish company involved in the production and sale of jewelry, based in Gdańsk. It was founded in 1980 by Kazimierz Tomasiewicz. Jubitom offers a wide selection of jewelry, including rings, necklaces, earrings, bracelets, watches, as well as jewelry from global brands such as Swarovski, Guess, and Calvin Klein. The company has over 40 years of tradition and more than 30 stores throughout Poland. The transaction represents a strategic strengthening of APART on the Polish market by expanding its network by 30 stores and broadening its range of watch brands (Omega, Tissot, TAG Heuer, Longines, Rado). This is the largest transaction in many years on the jewelry and watch market in Poland. I was personally responsible for overall legal (in co-operation with external legal advisor) and business aspects of the transaction throughout the entire process, from initial discussions to closing, including obtaining merger clearance from the Polish regulatory authority.

In November 2025, APART completed a several-year process of orderly and organised divestment of its chain of stores in Spain, which was closed as a result of the economic impact of the COVID-19 crisis. The process involved the closure of 25 POS across the country (termination of lease agreements, collective redundancies) and was finalised with the monetization of significant assets (real estate) and the dissolution of the operating company;

In 2025, the APART group expanded its network of investment gold distribution outlets geographically (+ approx. ten POS) and expanded its product range to include investment diamonds, which necessitated the renegotiation of key lease agreements in shopping centers, as well as the further development and strengthening of rigorous compliance systems and internal procedures in the area of AML/CFT (activity regulated under the supervision of the National Bank of Poland).

What are the key trends that in-house counsel should be monitoring in 2026?

Digitalisation and tax/reporting reforms (e.g., KSeF). The National e-Invoicing System (KSeF) becomes mandatory in 2026 in phases: for large taxpayers from February 2026, and broadly from April 2026 for most VAT payers. This shifts invoicing to structured electronic formats, requiring system integration, process changes, and compliance monitoring. In-house counsel should coordinate with finance/IT teams to mitigate risks of non-compliance penalties.

Pay transparency and gender equality under the EU Pay Transparency Directive – full implementation is expected by June 7, 2026 (with some provisions already in force from December 2025, such as bans on pay history inquiries and mandatory salary range disclosure in job ads). Draft laws require job evaluations using criteria like skills, effort, responsibility, and conditions; gender pay gap reporting; and remedies for pay discrimination. In-house counsel need to review remuneration policies, HR processes, job classification systems, and prepare for potential audits or litigation.

Implementation and compliance with the EU AI Act. The EU AI Act applies directly, with phased obligations continuing into 2026 for high-risk AI systems, prohibited practices, and transparency requirements. Poland is advancing national implementation through the Draft Act on Artificial Intelligence Systems, establishing bodies like the Commission for the Development and Safety of Artificial Intelligence (KRiBSI) as the market surveillance authority. In-house counsel must assess AI deployments for risk classification, conduct conformity assessments, ensure documentation, and prepare for potential administrative penalties. This trend demands AI governance policies, risk management frameworks, and monitoring of national supervisory developments.

What do you think are the most important attributes for a modern in-house counsel to possess?

Business acumen – in-house counsel must deeply understand how the company generates revenue, where value is created or destroyed, and how legal decisions impact growth, profitability, and competitive positioning. Purely risk-averse or theoretical advice is no longer enough — counsel need to think like business leaders.

Communication skills: the ability to translate complex legal risks into clear, actionable business language — without jargon — is critical. This includes confident presentation to executives/board, influencing without authority, writing concise emails/memos, and building trust across functions (finance, operations, HR, tech). To communicate effectively as an in-house counsel, you often have to put aside years of training, i.e. not “write like a lawyer” but instead learn to “write like a businessman” — who just happens to know a lot about the law.

Strategic thinking: for senior roles, you have to be skilled in seeing the bigger picture, anticipating issues proactively, contributing to enterprise strategy, and demonstrating executive presence. This includes ethical foresight in areas like AI governance, sustainability, and reputation risk.